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The Dance, Chapter Four
I couldn’t believe this. How did this happen? How was Nicki Natziana talking to a boy that was way below her rank? When Andrew broke up with me all my friends were saying that I didn’t deserve him and he was “less awesome” than me, but Andrew and Nicki even talking? Everyone would be talking about it this summer. I watched as Nicki and Andrew danced together and talked. I didn’t know what in the world they were speaking to each other about, all I knew was that they were talking. Nicki Natziana, the skinny, gorgeous, rich, fashionable girl, talking and dancing with Andrew Gussia, in accelerated math, great grades, a bit chubby, obsessed with video games, last year’s sixth grade student council representative, a self described geek. I don’t know how in the world they ended up talking and dancing with each other, but there they were. “How in the heck did this happen?” Nicole asked, looking at the two of them together as they laughed at something Andrew said. We looked around and saw the rest of the Fab Five in different sections of the cafeteria, with either one boy or many boys crowded around them. “I have no clue,” Trinity responded, staring at the two dancing together. She looked down and saw my face. “Kelsi, your face is getting red.” I blushed. “Is it?” I asked. “Um, I didn’t know…” The redness drained from my face. “Um, why don’t we talk about something else?” Nicole asked, wanting to draw our attention away from Andrew and Nicki, and we started talking about what we were going to do over the summer. It kept my thoughts away from Nicki and Andrew, but every once in a while my gaze shifted to them as they laughed and danced together. It made something inside me want to set Nicki on fire in front of everybody. It was around eight o’ clock when the DJ grabbed his microphone and said into it, “Alright everyone, time for some karaoke!” Everyone cheered wildly. “Alright, Howitt Middle School, raise your hand if you want to come up here and sing for everyone, and I may just pick you!” Many people raised their hands, and Nicole and Trinity looked at me. “Raise your hand, Kelsi!” Trinity said. “Come on, your voice is amazing!” “What!?” I exclaimed. “N-no, I-… Alright, I’ll give it a shot.” I raised my hand and Nicole and Trinity cheered. The DJ scanned the room, looking at all the hands that were up. “Um, can I have that girl in the back,” he said, pointing near me. “Blonde hair, glasses.” “Me!?” I yelled so he could hear me. “Yes, you, now come on up!” the DJ said to me. “Come on, girl, don’t keep us all waiting!” I groaned at my friends. 'Thanks a lot, guys,' I thought. I got up onto the stage and took the microphone from the DJ as a few hundred eyes were on me. “Alright, what’s your name?” the DJ asked me. “Kelsi,” I said. “Kelsi Rider.” “Well, Kelsi, tell me what song you want to sing, and I may have the instrumental to it,” the DJ told me. I thought for a moment. There was a song, a song that I'd always wanted to sing in front of people. “Do you have the instrumental for ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’?” I asked. “Heck yeah, we do!” the DJ said. “Now, you face those students and start singing, girl!” The music began playing and I faced the audience. I got very nervous as I saw all of those eyes on me. I had been in a few talent shows before. I was in four talent shows in the past, all of them I sang in, and I did very well in all of them. So I started singing when the singing part came in, Kelsi: Don’t tell me not to live, just sit and putter Life’s candy and the sun’s a ball of butter Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade Don’t tell me not to fly, I’ve simply got to. If someone takes a spill it’s me and not you! Who told you you’re allowed to rain on my parade? I’ll march my band out I’ll beat my drum And if I’m fanned out Your turn at bat, sir At least I didn’t fake it Hat, sir I guess I didn’t make it But whether I’m the rose of sheer perfection A freckle on the nose of life’s complexion The cinder or the Shining apple of its eye I’ve gotta fly once, I’ve gotta try one Only can die once Right, sir? Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see I’ve gotta have my bite, sir! By now everyone was looking at me and moving to the beat of the music. Nicki and Andrew were even dancing to my singing. Kelsi: Get ready for me, love Cause I’m a comer I’ve simply got to march My heart’s a drummer! Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade! I’ve gotta live and live now Get what I want I know how One roll for the whole shebang One throw, that bell will go ‘clang’ Eye on the target and ‘wham’ One shot, one gunshot, and BAM! Hey, Mr. Arnstein! Here I am! I took a big breath of air and got ready for the end of the song, which was the biggest part. Kelsi: I’ll march my band out I’ll beat my drum! And if I’m fanned out Your turn at bat, sir At least I didn’t fake it Hat, sir Guess I didn’t make it Get ready for me, love, cause I’m a comer! I’ve simply got to march, my heart’s a drummer! No-body, oh no-body Is gonna! Rain on my pa-rrrraaaaade! My song was followed by loud applause, people cheering for me. I felt incredibly good inside that people liked my singing voice. I felt that I had really improved as a singer over the past few years, and I was glad that I had the opportunity to share my talent with others. “Alright, let’s give a big hand to Kelsi!” the DJ said, taking the microphone from me. The room filled with applause. I bowed and got off the stage, smiling. I ran to Trinity and Nicole. “Wow, Kelsi, that was fantastic!” Nicole said. “Especially that last note.” “I didn’t expect you to be that good, Kelsi!” Trinity told me, giving me a high five. “Awesome, dude!” “Thanks!” I said, smiling. “I got nervous during the beginning-” “It didn’t look like you were nervous,” Trinity pointed out. “Well, I was,” I said. “But then towards the middle I was fine.” “Well, you sounded great,” Nicole said. “Where can I buy the recording of you singing that song on iTunes?” We began to laugh at Nicole’s joke. ---- Fast forward about a half hour. A slow song was playing, and the lights were dimmed. It was couple’s dance. Many students grabbed a boyfriend or girlfriend and began dancing together. What really ticked me off was when Andrew and Nicki started dancing together. “They’re just friends, Kelsi, calm down,” Trinity said to me as we sat in front of the wall next to the dance floor. We had only danced for about twenty minutes before, and now we were tired and relaxing, drinking what was left of our water bottles. I was about to throw a fireball at Nicki. Why was I like this? I hate Andrew now, don’t I? He dumped me, or as my father says, ‘kicked me to the curb’. So why do I feel this way towards him? And then something happened that made me completely lose it. Andrew leaned forward, Nicki and his bodies pressed up against each other, smiling, looking into each others eyes. And then something happened. Andrew kissed her. And she kissed him back. I felt hot tears of jealousy forming in my eyes. Embers (small balls of fire) appeared on my fingertips because of all the anger I was in. The ends of my hair even set on fire a bit. Nicole and Trinity saw the tears in my eyes. “Kelsi?” Nicole asked. She sent out a little squirt of water to put out the flames on my hair and fingertips. I started crying more. “Kelsi, it’s okay, he’s your ex-boyfriend,” Trinity started to say, but I had already ran out of the cafeteria, tears blurring my vision. I ran out of the building and leaned against the orange bricks, sobbing my eyes out. I didn’t dare look into the cafeteria window and see what was going on. I already knew what was happening- Andrew and Nicki were dating, and they had announced it to all of us by kissing each other. That’s why Andrew hadn’t talked to me like he usually did. He didn’t want Nicki to think he was cheating on her with me. Andrew would probably never talk about me or to me ever again. And I would talk about him frequently, but never to him ever again. I began walking around the building, sobbing. If I could, I would set the whole school on fire, but I remembered that that was the worst thing to do right now. If my dad, mom, any of the Furious Five, Po, or Shifu were here, they’d say, “Kelsi, dry your tears and move on. He was in the past. Life moves on, and it can’t stay in the past. He obviously doesn’t like you any longer, and you can’t keep liking him. Move on. Get a new crush.” But I would say, “No, I’m not going to listen to you. He loved me, and somewhere inside him he must still love me.” This was last year all over again when Andrew broke up with me. Last year, Andrew Gussia, who I loved so very much, broke up with me. I was fine for the first hour, but as soon as I got home I locked myself in my bedroom and cried for about an hour. Then I cut up the bracelet he had given me. My tears stopped, and I watched videos on the internet. That made me feel much better. I would have to text my mom and tell her to pick me up, or have Trinity and Nicole text their mom to tell her to pick us up. I had had enough of this night. I wanted to go home right now. I had to do it. I had to do something to get revenge on Andrew and Nicki somehow. But I knew I couldn’t. There were better things I could do than that. I shook my head, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand. I opened my mouth and began to sing: There are worse things I could do Than go with a boy Or two Even though the neighborhood thinks I’m trashy And no good Well, if the neighborhood didn’t think I was trashy, then Andrew and all his friends definitely thought I was. I rolled my eyes, kicking the ground lightly with my right foot. I suppose it could be true But there are worse things I could do I continued walking around the building, shaking my head, refusing to continue crying, singing more about things that would be horrible to do. I could flirt with all the guys Smile at them and bat my eyes Press against them when we dance Make them think they stand a chance Then refuse to see it through That’s a thing I’d never do I then realized that that would never happen. I mean, no boy would want me pressing against them and batting my eyes at them, and they’d never want a chance with me. I shook my head as I stood, leaning against the orange and tan colored bricks of the school building. I could stay home every night Wait around for Mr. Right Take cold showers every day And throw my life away On a dream that won’t come true I my hands then turned into fists as my voice became a bit softer. ‘Don’t cry,’ I told myself, sniffling. ‘Crying won’t help anything’. I could hurt someone like me Out of spite ''' '''Or jealousy Suddenly, I took a step and stood up, my voice suddenly getting angrier and louder, as if I was yelling at someone, as if I was yelling at Andrew. I don’t steal, AND I DON'T LIE! But I can feel and I can cry A fact I’ll bet you never knew I sighed as I continued walking, rubbing my eyes. I came to a windows, looking into the cafeteria and saw Nicki and Andrew continue to dance, only looking happier now that I’d left. I sat down under the window, unable to take anymore of this. I sang very softly: But to cry in front of you… That’s the worst thing I could do… This seemed unreal. I wanted this to just be a dream. A terrible, horrible dream, more like a nightmare. But there they were, Andrew and Nicki, kissing. I don’t know how this happened, I don’t know how Andrew and Nicki had started talking and decided to go out, but it happened, in front of practically the whole school. This just proved that Nicki Natziana, daughter of a pizza place owner and a court reporter, who had so much money that she could go into any store in the world and spend as much money as she wanted, could get anything she wanted. And right now, she wanted Andrew. And Andrew wanted her back. This nightmare proved that whatever Nicki wants, Nicki gets. Whatever Nicki wants Nicki gets And little man Little Nicki Wants you Where was that music coming from? I peered into the window of the cafeteria and saw Nicki and Andrew dancing together as Nicki held a microphone into her hand and sang her own version of ‘Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets’. They were doing karaoke again. Make up your mind to have No regrets Recline yourself Resign yourself You’re through Nicki got closer to Andrew so that their bodies almost touched, and she continued singing, I always get What I aim for And your heart and soul Is what I came for Whatever Nicki wants Nicki gets Take off your coat Don’t you know you Can’t win How dare she! Dancing with my Andrew? She would definitely pay for this. But I knew that, since she’s Nicki Natziana, she wouldn’t pay for this. She couldn’t pay for anything. Except with money.